I usually use canned chickpeas for any kind of hummus.  And trust me there is nothing wrong with this. In Dubai hummus is a staple food,  we eat it for breakfast, lunch. dinner and most restaurants and cafeterias resort to canned chickpeas. But if you have dried chickpeas in your pantry, you can make hummus from scratch.

Using Dried Chickpeas: Soak 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas in cold water.  Ratio: 1:3. So 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas will make about 1 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas or  1 of  cup dried chickpeas = 3 cups of cooked ones. There are 3 methods to cook the chickpeas.

• In an Instant Pot ( or any pressure cooker) takes about 1 hour. It is my favorite method because it is the fastest one and you can skip soaking.
• Simmering on the stove will take approximately 3-4 hours, which is time-consuming, especially if you are a working mom.
• In the Slow Cooker will take 4 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW. It is a great way to cook chickpeas, you don't need to soak them. just throw them and forget.

Spinach: As you might know, spinach contains oxalic acid, which can make hummus taste bitter. My advice is to use baby spinach, avoid large, dark spinach leaves because they have a more bitter flavor and will ruin the hummus. I recommend to cut each stem from baby spinach as they have metallic bitter flavor.

Tahini paste: If you have an allergy to sesame seeds, avoid adding  tahini. It is a sesame seeds paste. It is so versatile and you can store it for ages.Best of all you don't need to refrigerate it, simply keep it in your pantry and use for savory or sweet dishes or as a sauce. Always stir it before use!

Serving: Here in the Middle East it is traditionally served with  grilled meat, pita bread, kuboos bread, olive oil and veggies.

Storing: Store in a plate covered with plastic or in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can freeze it  for 1 month.